[real-eyes] Re: Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not

  • From: "Andrea Breier" <andreabreier@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2014 11:53:48 -0500

Love it!!!

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Sheila Styron" <sheilastyron@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2014 10:39 AM
To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good 
About the iPhone and What Is Not

> See what you started! smile
>
> Best, Sheila
> 816-896-6552
>
> On Jun 6, 2014, at 7:41 AM, "Andrea Breier" <abreier@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I thought this might be good to toss out there for discussion.  This 
> artical was printed in the June addition. I agree that there is a learning 
> curve that naturally goes along with any smart phone, but because of the 
> wide veriaty of abilities of the many people I have personally instructed 
> with the iPhone, do not feel that there is a better accessibility option 
> in the smart phone arina.  there are several other options or salutions 
> that could have been implamented in some of the examples he gave.  Fleksy 
> as an input option for his touch typing example for one, or using the 
> split tap or adjusting the speed of the tap under accessibility options.
> Okay enough said for now.  Here goes the artical.
>>                                ----------
>> [PHOTO CAPTION: Curtis Chong]
>>           Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not
>>                              by Curtis Chong
>>
>>     From the Editor: The iPhone is unquestionably the most popular cell
>> phone used by the blind. Apple's revolutionary breakthrough in providing 
>> a
>> roadmap for making the touchscreen usable by the blind has earned it
>> significant praise from the blind, and their money has followed their
>> words. But even with its impressive list of features and its
>> accessibility,
>> the iPhone is not for everyone, including some blind people. In this
>> article Curtis Chong, who is a technology expert now living in New 
>> Mexico,
>> explains the benefits of cutting-edge technology, but he also knows that
>> the complexity of the iPhone and the needs of many cell phone users do 
>> not
>> make it a good match. Here is what he has to say:
>>
>>     Many people have hailed the Apple iPhone as one of the first
>> touchscreen technologies that can be used by the blind without sighted
>> assistance. When Apple released the iPhone with VoiceOver back in 2009,
>> even the most skeptical among us recognized that Apple had accomplished a
>> truly phenomenal feat of design and engineering; for the first time in
>> history a person who could not see the screen was able to operate all of
>> the controls of a device, even though those controls were nothing more
>> than
>> icons on a flat screen.
>>     Today the iPhone's reputation as an accessible technology for the
>> blind is widespread. People who have never used an accessible cell phone
>> have heard about the iPhone and dream about taking advantage of its
>> accessibility for themselves. Well-meaning sons and daughters, hearing
>> about the legendary accessibility of the iPhone, act to purchase this
>> marvelous piece of technology for their aging mother or father. Parents
>> who
>> want an accessible cell phone for their blind youngsters believe that the
>> iPhone is the perfect solution.
>>     Accessible as the iPhone is, it is important to understand both its
>> strengths and weaknesses before deciding to spend the money to get it. 
>> For
>> some people it will be the perfect solution. For others it could turn out
>> to be a very expensive paperweight.
>>     The good and bad points about the iPhone that are listed below are
>> based solely on my personal experience. In judging the accuracy of this
>> information for yourself, you should know that I was a relative latecomer
>> to the iPhone; I waited nearly two years before I decided to abandon my
>> accessible Nokia cell phone for it, and, because I had talked with a lot
>> of
>> blind people before I decided to make the purchase, I was not 
>> disappointed
>> in my decision.
>>
>>                     The Good Things About the iPhone
>>
>>     1. The iPhone enables you to take advantage of online services-
>> particularly if they are supported by an iPhone app-for example, banking,
>> news, music, searching for information, reading books online, email,
>> weather, etc.
>>     2. The iPhone gives you the same technology as many of your blind
>> friends who have already embraced the iPhone as their technological Swiss
>> Army Knife of choice. This means that, if you run into trouble, you will
>> probably be able to find a blind person with the knowledge and experience
>> to help you.
>>     3. The iPhone demonstrates conclusively that the blind can operate a
>> touchscreen device that has been properly designed for nonvisual use. In
>> this regard I take great delight in using my iPhone with the screen
>> completely blank-just to show my sighted colleagues that it can be done.
>>     4. The iPhone can tell you who is calling before you answer the call.
>>     5. The iPhone can help you keep track of recent calls made and/or
>> received, and you can easily return a missed call.
>>     6. The iPhone offers a dictation system that enables you to make
>> calls
>> to people in your contact list, call specific phone numbers that you
>> already know, dictate emails and text messages, and ask questions that 
>> may
>> or may not result in useful answers.
>>     7. The iPhone can run a GPS system that you can use to direct drivers
>> to where you want to go if you pay for a good GPS app.
>>     8. The iPhone has a free built-in compass which is quite useful in
>> places where there are no good landmarks.
>>     9. With a ten-dollar app, the iPhone can read paper currency; this
>> app
>> can even read foreign paper currency.
>>     10. The iPhone is a great music player and also good for streaming
>> radio.
>>     11. With the iPhone you can read digital talking books and electronic
>> Braille books from the National Library Service of the Library of
>> Congress.
>>     12. The iPhone can be used to read books from Audible.com and Kindle
>> books from Amazon. It can also read books from a variety of other 
>> sources-
>> including Learning Ally and Bookshare.
>>     13. The iPhone offers access to NFB-NEWSLINE® through a free app.
>>     14. You can take pictures with the iPhone. Autofocus gives you a
>> verbal indication whether there is a face in the picture. Also the camera
>> can, to some extent, be used with optical character recognition software
>> to
>> read printed material if you can focus the camera.
>>     15. The iPhone has built-in voice output and screen enlargement
>> available free. Activating these technologies is fairly straightforward.
>> Moreover, you will find that a growing number of books and people are
>> available to offer help and support for new iPhone users.
>>
>>                     What Is Not Good About The iPhone
>>
>>     1. If you don't want to pay for a data plan, the iPhone has no option
>> for that. A data plan will cost you about twenty dollars a month. You 
>> need
>> a data plan for the iPhone to be able to communicate over the Internet.
>>     2. It is very inefficient to make a simple phone call with the
>> iPhone,
>> particularly if you don't have a person in your contacts list. You can
>> dial
>> a phone number that you know much more quickly with a keypad that has
>> real,
>> physical buttons.
>>     3. On the iPhone touch typing for texting and email is very slow as
>> compared to a regular keyboard; this has been somewhat mitigated by
>> Braille
>> apps, of which there are now two. However, you should know that research
>> has shown that, on average, a blind person entering data using the touch-
>> screen QWERTY keyboard is writing at about three words per minute. By
>> contrast, users of the built-in Braille apps have been clocked at around
>> 23
>> words per minute.
>>     4. The iPhone is very much a technology requiring good hand-ear
>> coordination. People who want real buttons that they can operate silently
>> by touch will be very disappointed in the iPhone.
>>     5. Battery life for the iPhone is still an issue. You have to charge
>> it at least once a day-a lot more if you use GPS.
>>     6. The iPhone is not small. It is bigger than a lot of flip phones.
>>     7. For a lot of people the iPhone is a lot more technology than they
>> want. It is not for someone who just wants a phone to make and receive
>> calls.
>>     8. The iPhone is not cheap. Even with a two-year contract, the basic
>> unit can cost $200. The full retail price of the iPhone is approximately
>> $650.
>>     9. First-time users of the iPhone have reported initial frustration
>> with this powerful technology. It is not uncommon for these people to 
>> feel
>> as if they want to throw the phone away during the first month. Answering
>> calls and hanging up calls seem to be two particularly difficult problems
>> for beginning iPhone users.
>>     10. The iPhone requires a fair amount of dexterity and the ability to
>> tap quickly. People who have motor issues or poor dexterity will likely
>> not
>> benefit from this technology.
>>
>>                                Conclusion
>>
>>     The iPhone is simply not for everyone-despite its built-in nonvisual
>> accessibility. Before you decide to get one, do the research, talk to 
>> your
>> colleagues in the blind community, and decide whether or not you really
>> need or want the power that the iPhone has to offer. Before you buy, be
>> prepared to experience some frustration, have a few second thoughts, and
>> expect initially to find some simple phone functions harder than you 
>> think
>> they should be.
>>                                ----------
>
> Hugs, AJ
>
> Recipe for happiness:
> Live with enthusiasm, smile for no reason, love without conditions, act 
> with purpose, listen with your heart, and laugh often.
>
> Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
> When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
> Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
> Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure 
> Ecstasy.
> Take naps.
> Stretch before rising.
> Run, romp, and play daily.
> Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
> Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
> On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
> On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
> When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
> Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
> Be loyal.
> Never pretend to be something you're not.
> If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
> When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them 
> gently.
> ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
>
>
>
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